HCM CITY – The national Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programme could help resolve the conflict between urban development and historic preservation in HCM City if new regulations were passed, according to the Institute for Development and Research (HIDS).

Under the programme, landowners in areas of valuable agricultural, natural and cultural resources are financially compensated if they do not develop some or all of their land. 

The landowner, under municipal zoning regulations, can legally sever “development rights” to their land and sell these rights to another landowner or real estate developer for use at another location.

Phạm Trần Hải of HIDS conducted a study which found that owners of historic buildings were not allowed to rebuild but they could sell or transfer the rights to an individual or organisation capable of preserving and developing them.

However, the transfer of development rights is currently not addressed by any law or regulation, which has weakened preservation activities. A regulation concerning this issue is now being discussed but it has not been officially presented to any legislative body.

Vương Đình Huy, a representative of HIDS, said at a conference on Thursday in HCM City that local officials must take more proactive measures to ensure a healthy balance between development and historic preservation.

In HCM City, there are about 1,300 old villas built before 1975 which have architectural, artistic, cultural and historic value. They were mainly built by the French before 1954. – VNS